Braves first baseman Freddie Freeman found out in manager Brian Snitker’s office late Tuesday night that he wouldn’t be in the lineup for Wednesday’s game against the Boston Red Sox at SunTrust Park.
“I got a text after (Tuesday’s) game that said, ‘Come see me before you leave, after you get done eating,’” Freeman said Wednesday morning. “So I went in there and we kind of just sat down and talked for a few minutes, and we came to the conclusion -- more him telling me -- that I was not going to play today.
“I gave my two cents that I wanted to play, but ... I think it was a good time to recharge the battery.”
So Freeman, famously resistant to taking days off, was out of the starting lineup in the homestand finale. Recently acquired Lucas Duda got the start at first base.
The day off came with Freeman in an 8-for-51 slump over his past 13 games, dating to Aug. 22. He hasn’t hit a home run against a team other than the Miami Marlins since July 1. His past four homers were against Miami.
It was just a day off for Freeman, not the result of any sort of injury, both Snitker and Freeman said.
“Just giving him the day off, letting him relax a little bit. That’s all there is to it,” Snitker said. “... It’s just one of those things as manager I see things, and think it’ll be good for him.”
Freeman said his left wrist, which he fractured last season, causing him to miss seven weeks, is not bothering him.
“The wrist is completely fine,” Freeman said. “I haven’t felt any pain in my wrist all year. I feel great.”
Before Wednesday, Freeman and Nick Markakis had been the only teammates in the National League this season to start all of their team’s games.
“I feel like it’s 2014 all over again, when I did 162 (games) and didn’t have the second half I wanted to,” Freeman said. “In my mind, I don’t ever want to take a day off. It’s still hard for me to wrap my mind around this right now. But when I think about 2014, I think Snit is making the right call.
“Sometimes my stubbornness gets in the way. I want to be out there, but this could be the perfect time to recharge and have a nice little 20-game stretch at the end.”
Freeman is available to pinch-hit in Wednesday’s game if needed.
Despite the recent slump, Freeman ranks sixth in the National League in batting average (.305) and is tied for second in hits (162).
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